South Africa vs India 1st ODI: An enormus test for the Indian batsmen

Virat would need to bat out of his skills as Yuvraj and Raina’s form have been patchy

It has been a quick transition for the Indian team. Sourav Ganguly was the first man to depart, and he was replaced by Yuvraj Singh. Rahul Dravid then left the Test cricket and he was replaced by Pujara and now Sachin Tendulkar’s place will be taken by Virat Kohli. India has found appropriate replacements for them in the limited overs format as well.

Now this is a young talented side which will face a stern test on South African pitches. It’s good for India that they play the one-day series before the Test series. India have been doing well in the limited overs format this year, winning the Champions Trophy and it was followed by a tri-series win in West Indies. They subsequently were the winners of the one-day series against Australia and West Indies. The conclusion that can be drawn from this is every player has risen to the occasion and India have not been dependent on a single player.

Rohit Sharma has been in phenomenal form for India and so as Shikhar Dhawan. Both have been the ice-breaker for India as they have provided some prolific starts for India. Also Virat Kohli has been the consistent man for India at No.3 and has proven to be handy while chasing big scores. However one has to admit that in the past 7 months the pitches on which they’ve played in overseas, have been typical sub-continental wickets and hence, it ideally suited to the Indian batsmen. They have not really been tested by the pace and bounce and therefore, it could prove a little tricky for this team in South Africa.

It’s going to be an enormous test for the batsmen. The first ODI is scheduled at Johannesburg on December 5. Wanderers is one of those grounds that could go either way, and isn’t predominantly in favour of any discipline. 434 runs have been chased by South Africa against Australia, which means the behavior of the wicket does not affect the performance of the team. It all depends on how the team uses the new-ball effectively. The new-ball bowlers would definitely get some pace and bounce from the wicket. So, if the new-ball bowlers can make some early inroads, it’s going to be testing time for middle order. But on the other hand, if the openers can see-off the new-ball, the track has got a lot of runs on it.

History of South Africa vs India at Johannesburg:

Team	Winner	Year
South Africa vs India	South Africa	1992
South Africa vs India	South Africa	2001
South Africa vs India	India	2011

The first match at the Wanders was the match between India and South Africa in 1992 and from there on, South Africa were unstoppable at this venue. They’ve played 29 matches at this venue, winning 19 games and losing just 8 matches. The other two matches were abandoned due to rain.

Therefore, it is going to be a challenging series for India. Although Rohit Sharma has been in good nick, the pace and bounce of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel with the new-ball, would certainly test Rohit Sharma. In contrast, Shikhar Dhawan has scored double-hundred for India A against the Proteas, which means he can adapt to the conditions in South Africa quickly and play according to the situation. He has played Dale Steyn in the nets (Sunrisers Hyderabad), and therefore, pace won’t be a problem for Dhawan. However the kind of bounce the wicket offers to Steyn would surely trouble Dhawan. For instance, Shikhar Dhawan was troubled by the bounce at Jamaica when India toured West Indies for a tri-series tournament this year. He got out off a short-ball, which came to chest height. So, it will be interesting to see the approach of Dhawan against the likes of Steyn and Morkel.

It wouldn’t be a bad idea to stay at the crease and play the ball as late as possible. Front foot drives from Dhawan will not work out because of the unpredictable bounce from the wicket. It is important for Dhawan to spend some time at the wicket before taking the aerial route. Also Virat Kohli, who has been the consistent man for India, will be holding the key for India at No.3 because Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina’s form have been patchy. Though Yuvraj has the experience of playing in South Africa, he has not been in good form recently. Yuvraj recently has not been timing the ball well and so, he could not get the runs. He has also struggled to handle short-pitched deliveries against Australia, and therefore, you can’t guarantee his performance in the first match at the Wanders. However, if the openers can see-off the new-ball and put India in a commanding position, it would be a great opportunity for Yuvraj Singh to get back into the groove. If not, he will have a tough period.

And Suresh Raina’s inability to handle short-pitched deliveries continues to bother the Indian batting line-up. If these two get dismissed in quick succession, the entire burden will be shifted to MS Dhoni.

MS Dhoni hasn’t found any problems against pace and bounce

Pace and bounce has not been a setback for MS Dhoni. He has played against high-quality fast bowlers and is in good nick for the South African safari. He has scored a century against Australia and also scored his 50^th ODI fifty against West Indies, which talks about his consistency. If Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh fail to live up to the expectations, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have Dhoni at No.4. Dhoni, in fact, has a good record at No.4.

He will also play an important role as a captain. It will be interesting to see his strategy against Hashim Amla, AB de Villers, and JP Duminy. Amla has been a good driver of the ball, but not a good player through the on-side. So, a fielder at short mid-wicket would do the trick. And Dhoni should try to get rid of AB de Villers as quickly as possible and should not allow him to play the death overs. As far Duminy is concerned, he isn’t a good player of spin, and so, getting him dismissed wouldn’t be a problem for Dhoni. If MSD can get these three in quick succession, it will be interesting to see the approach of Proteas batsmen.

On the other hand, India have a formidable pace attack. Umesh Yadav and Mohammad Shami could be effective as pace becomes more significant on South African pitches. Shami has had a good series against Australia as well as against West Indies. He will be holding the key for India against Proteas top order batsmen. He can do the bulk of damage to Proteas top order and Proteas top order have collapsed against quality fast bowlers on bouncy wickets. So, Umesh and Shami will be holding the key for India.

R Ashwin’s performance would not be significant in South Africa. However he will play an important role in the middle overs. He has to ensure that he doesn’t leak too many runs in the middle period of the innings.

Overall, India bowling attack does not look bad, but it’s the batting that should click for India.